JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 27, 2009) - If facing Mercer wasn't enough motivation for the Lady Bucs on Saturday, then playing for a share of the Atlantic Sun regular season title should be. The ETSU women's basketball team looks to earn a piece of the regular season crown when they tip off against the Bears at 1:30 p.m. inside MemorialCenter.

The Lady Bucs have not forgotten about their 16-point loss at Mercer in the A-Sun opener back on Dec. 5 in Macon, Ga. Since that embarrassing loss, ETSU has been a completely different team, as the Lady Bucs have rattled off 17 wins in their last 21 games. In addition, ETSU has also won 16 of its last 18 conference match-ups and the Lady Bucs sit a half-game behind FloridaGulfCoast in the conference standings - meaning a win by ETSU on Saturday gives both the Lady Bucs and the Eagles a share of the regular season title.

ETSU (18-9, 16-3) got off to a strong start on Thursday night against KennesawState and had to hang on for a 73-66 victory inside MemorialCenter. Junior guard Sairre Evans (Griffin, Ga.) tallied her sixth straight double-double - finishing with 26 points and 12 rebounds on the night. Evans, who currently leads the A-Sun in scoring (16.7) and rebounding (10.4), also moved past Michele DeVault for eighth on the Lady Buccaneer all-time scoring list (1,268 career points).

Mercer, who is currently battling Belmont for the third seed in next month's conference tournament, brings a 15-13, 11-8 record into Saturday's contest. The Bears faced a difficult match-up on Thursday night, as USC Upstate dealt Mercer a 71-59 loss in Spartanburg. Mercer was held 3-of-22 from beyond the arc and shot only 30.3 percent from the field (20-66). Dominique Chism had a solid game for the Bears - ending with 26 points and 14 rebounds.

Reserved seat tickets for Lady Buccaneer Basketball games are $5 for adults and $3 for children 17 and under. ETSU students are admitted to games free of charge with a valid ETSU ID.

Tickets are available on game days at the center gate on the upper concourse, and can be purchased in advance by calling the ETSU Ticket Office at 423-439-3878 or online at ETSUBucs.com. Tickets can also be picked up in person at the ETSU Ticket Office in the MemorialCenter from 8:30-4:30 from Monday through Friday.

Fans unable to make the trip to Johnson City can view all the action live on ASun.TV. Live stats will also be available by clicking the link shown above.